Remember the earlier post when we talked about the kinds of gas that make the car of you go? One type of gas is breathing. As everyone knows- breathing is very important. Lately, we’ve been doing the following directed breathing exercise in yoga. I can tell the difference it makes in me and thought that you would appreciate it too. Thanks to my teacher Donna Rixmann of YogaPeace.net for her wisdom.

Inhale

Hold

Exhale

Hold

# Of Reps

6

0

6

0

4

6

1

6

0

4

6

2

6

0

4

6

3

6

0

4

6

2

6

0

4

6

1

6

0

4

6

0

6

0

4

Translating line one means: breathe in for a count of 6, don’t hold the in-breath, breathe out for an equal amount of time for a count of 6, don’t hold the out-breath, inhale again to start round 2 of 4 rounds.

Continue to line two: inhale for a count of 6, hold the in-breath for a count of 1, exhale for a count of 6, no hold on the out-breath starting the second round of 4 by inhaling again.

And so on.

As always, exercise caution- do only what is good for you and as Donna says, “leave the rest”.

Last week I, yet again, had the opportunity for a great discussion with one of my patients. I have to steal a question she posed because it’s too wonderful not to share it. It’s not immediately practical in nature like many of the this blog’s posts but I can’t resist!

Thanks PR!

“What would a stereo look like if it were built using Taoist principles?”

I would LOVE no, ADORE hearing any responses to this question! Leave them in the comments section!

We’re a doing culture here in the U.S. If something isn’t right we want to DO something to make it better. That’s certainly one way to bring about change; if you want change, the thinking goes, action is required. It’s a very yang way (of the yin/yang balance) of problem solving and it often works perfectly! Even so, it’s still only half of the equation as far as Chinese medicine is concerned. In keeping with the concepts of yin/yang, not doing can be just as powerful as doing.

Sounds crazy? Hardly! Finding yourself gluten intolerant? Don’t eat gluten. Fatigued perhaps? Don’t stay up until 3am and don’t run that marathon if it isn’t going to work towards your greater good. Feeling stressed? Don’t fret about what you can’t control and don’t add more onto your plate of must-dos. Is adding more distractions to your daily existence no longer working? Try sitting in silence instead.
When has non-action worked better than action for you? Let us know in the comments section.
Thanks!